DIY Garden

How do you maintain wooden garden furniture?

Hardwood and softwood

Garden furniture is often made from tropical hardwood such as teak. Teak contains lots of natural oils, so it hardly absorbs water, doesn’t rot easily and, teak furniture requires little maintenance.

In addition, there is garden furniture made of spruce or pine wood. Untreated, these woods are not resistant to the influence of wind and weather, which is why softwood garden furniture is usually impregnated with oil.

Cleaning garden furniture

  • Remove large particles of dirt with a stiff brush.
  • Use a solution of soap and a cloth to clean the furniture thoroughly.
  • Next, use the garden hose to rinse the furniture.
  • Let it dry for 24 hours before treating the wood.

Garden furniture made of tropical hardwood

When teak furniture stays outside for a season, it turns grey. Some people like this patina and leave it that way. If you want to get the original colour back, you can treat the wood with a special product. For the different tropical hardwood species, some oils replace the natural oil. You apply these products with a soft brush or cloth on a clean and dry surface.

Garden furniture made of spruce or pine wood

man stain wooden garden table

In most cases, the furniture wood is preserved in advance with saturating oil. But, it certainly doesn’t hurt to give them a protective stain coat regularly.

  • Softwood is more likely to show cracks and other damage than hardwood. Check your furniture for this and fill any cracks and holes with a filler.
  • Lightly sand the cleaned furniture with fine sandpaper.
  • Apply the stain with a flat brush. Brush in the direction of the fibres to help the stain penetrate the wood better.
  • Allow to dry and then apply a second coat.

Storing garden furniture

wooden garden chairs covered with snow

It is ideal to store your garden furniture indoors for the winter, but not everyone has this option. If you don’t have storage space, you can put your garden furniture together and cover it with a protective cover. While this does not protect against frost, it does prevent rain and snow from affecting the wood.

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